Is it permissible to win an 'Umrah trip or monetary prizes in a competition for memorizing the Forty Hadith of An-Nawawi, organized by the Ministry of Endowments, taking into consideration its conditions such as age and paying a symbolic amount to purchase a booklet in support of the competition?
A competition is not permissible if the participant is obligated to purchase the competition booklet and what they pay becomes part of the prize, because this falls under the category of gambling. However, if purchasing the booklet is not a condition for participation, or its price is for organizing the competition and not part of the prizes, then there is no harm, and the competition is permissible for memorizing and teaching the Sunnah. Imam Ibn al-Qayyim held the view that it is permissible to compete for a prize in memorizing the Qur'an, Hadith, fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), and beneficial sciences, and that this is more worthy of permissibility than physical competitions. This is the preponderant opinion.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/115011